


Since childhood

by ivyness



Series: AU Yeah August 2018 [21]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, Drabble, Gen, au yeah august
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-07-01 01:50:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15764148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ivyness/pseuds/ivyness
Summary: Bruce and Hulk have known each other for a long time





	Since childhood

**Author's Note:**

> Warning for a bit of anger and bullying

Bruce was not a nice person. 

He simply had discipline and self-control and a sensitive enough awareness of things normal people considered morally reprehensible.

Human experimentation, for instance. Or injecting oneself with an untested, experimental drug and then following it up with exposure to a lethal dose of gamma radiation.

In hindsight, not his best idea. At the time, though, he was blinded by seemingly endless anger. He was young and foolish and did not yet have enough control of his emotions to objectively recognize what a truly, spectacularly bad idea it was.

***********

Bruce had always known he was different.

He was too smart and too quiet and prone to sudden, violent outbursts. The one time the local bullies had cornered him in the janitor’s closet, Bruce had thrown soda ash in their eyes. All three were hospitalized.

Even as a kid Bruce knew there was something wrong. No one else seemed to have this bottomless anger simmering underneath their skin.

Bruce can’t remember the exact trigger but he can fuzzily recall a raging child, levering up a ten foot tall bookshelf - himself less than half that height - and children screaming as it toppled over, barely missing his terrified classmates. After, Bruce can remember his hate when his teacher had made him apologize. Apologize to his trembling classmates who had stolen his lunch and tossed out his sneakers and filled his desk with worms. Anger was so much easier.

After that, his classmates called him the Hulk. 

But Bruce knew better. He turned to the anger and Bruce called it Hulk. 

***********

They weren’t necessarily friends. More like two grudging roommates of the same body, stuck together. Most of the time Bruce was in control; most of the time it was his own anger that led to bad decisions. And when Hulk used his anger as a gateway to take over, well, Hulk was careful enough with people. Bruce was too angry to care.


End file.
